Event Date and Time :
Friday, April 9, 2021 – 12:00 am to Sunday, April 11, 2021 – 11:59 pm
Location : Washington DC
About DataFest
The 2021 DC Datafest is a 48-hour competition where teams of undergraduate students from the DC metro area compete virtually to analyze rich, complex data sets from a major organization. Students are allowed just two slides to convince the judges that they have found the best data supported insights or visualization. Datafest promotes collaboration, creativity, critical and practical analysis skills, and most of all, fun.We can’t reveal the source of this year’s data until the event begins, but a few past data sets have been provided by the Los Angeles Police Department, eHarmony and Ticketmaster. The competition is open to undergraduate students from the University of Maryland and other prominent universities and colleges in the D.C. metropolitan area.
Academic & Real-World Impact
Students’ analysis skills are put to the test with much more complex data than what they normally see in class. Their creativity is challenged as students are given free rein to analyze the data however they see fit, taking direction from the client’s presentation on the first night of Datafest. Datafest gives students the opportunity to gain real-world analysis experience and network with potential employers. All sponsoring companies have the opportunity to act as VIP Consultants and Judges to Datafest participants. VIP Consultants are invited to drop in during Datafest to see the student teams in action, and offer advice and guidance. The role of a Judge is to evaluate presentations at the end of the competition and determine the winners in 3 categories:
- Best Insights,
- Best in Visualization
- Best use of Outside Data.
